Who: Phoenix Suns (1-0) vs Los Angeles Clippers (0-1)
When: 7:00pm Arizona Time
Where: Intuit Dome, Los Angeles, California
Watch: Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports, Suns+
Listen: KMVP 98.7, KSUN
Coming off their first win of the season, the Phoenix Suns look to improve to 2-0 against a very familiar and formidable opponent, the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Clippers have many familiar faces: Bradley Beal, Chris Paul, and Derrick Jones Jr., all of whom have previously donned a Suns uniform. In its first matchup against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City, Los Angeles looked like they were still in preseason basketball form as Utah jumped out to a 43-19 lead in the first quarter. At home, the Clippers should get a jolt from their home crowd and be much more lively at home.
The Suns are heavy underdogs in this matchup (+9.5) after their comeback victory against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night. But as we learned against the Kings, that is where this team thrives, put them behind the 8-ball, and they are a cage full of rabid dogs looking to fight, scratch, and claw their way to victory.
Probable Starters
Injury Report
Suns
- Jalen Green — Out (Hamstring strain)
Clippers
- Jordan Miller — Out (Hamstring)
What to Watch For
If you have not been paying attention to the Clippers, Ivica Zubac is one of, if not their best, players. Obviously, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Bradley Beal are bigger names, but Zubac was quietly one of the best players in the entire NBA last season. Not only is Zubac great, but they also picked up Brook Lopez, another physically imposing and talented player.
For Phoenix, how they choose to deploy their center rotation to withstand Zubac and Lopez’s physical presence will be fascinating with Mark Williams on a minutes restriction. Williams looked every bit as good as Suns fans could have hoped for in his Suns debut. If he can withstand playing Zubac and Lopez and hold his own, it would give us hope that if healthy, Mark Williams can help elevate this Suns team to play winning basketball much earlier than expected.
And don’t forget the Suns also have three other centers they could potentially throw at the Clippers centers as well, so expect to see a lot of bodies battling in the paint.
Key to a Suns Win
The two keys to a Suns win are simple: tempo and winning the non-Booker minutes.
Over the offseason, the Clippers added a lot of key pieces to a team that finished fifth in the Western Conference and lost to the Denver Nuggets in seven games last season. The pieces they added were John Collins, Lopez, Paul, and Beal. That made the Clippers the oldest team in the NBA with an average age of 30.7 per ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
Last season, the Suns were the oldest team in the NBA, and we saw with our own eyes that old teams do not like to play up-and-down transition games, especially transition defense. The Suns have to force turnovers, rebound and push the ball to keep 48 minutes of pressure on the Clippers to win. If Los Angeles can slow the ball down, get Harden, Leonord, and Zubac going, it is going to be a frustrating night in Phoenix.
While the Clippers are the oldest team in the NBA, they are also one of the deepest teams when healthy. They will play 10 players for at least 10-20 minutes in this game. When Devin Booker is resting, can the Suns keep pace with a Clippers bench led by Nicholas Batum, Paul, Collins, and Lopez? Even if the Suns’ bench does not outscore the Clippers’ bench, they at least need to hold serve so that when Booker and company are back on the floor, winning the game is within reach.
Prediction
Unfortunately, the Clippers have too much late-game shot-making for me to feel comfortable picking the Suns in what I believe will be a close game late. Phoenix loses in an overtime thriller.
Clippers 121, Suns 119
